SEO and Directory Submissions Revisited | You Must Respect My Authorita!

Tim from LunaVista disagrees with me about the importance of directory submissions for SEO. What do you think? E-mail RachaelDror@hotmail.com

Rachael,


Wow – you’re tough on the Directory Submissions. So while they may not pass Page Rank, they can be useful in getting new sites visited sooner (and older sites visited more often).

Some links are going to bring huge benefits, ie. all the love that comes from Page Rank. Other links are just that, links – they help direct spiders around. And for new sites, the fact that directories are updated regularly and they give search engines a place to go to find new links and re-index others, is a good thing. While I would not put as much emphasis on search directory links as I used to, I would still use search directory links as part of a linking strategy for new web sites.

I don’t think search engines ignore search directories, they don’t give you much of a “bump” as far as rankings go, BUT, it they do provide a means for spiders to find / follow links (which they do – you can see it in your analytics).

For the same reasons these links used to be popular from a ranking standpoint, they are still important from an indexing standpoint. They expose materials to the search engines. You may not receive “link credit” or “page rank” from it (because let’s face it, it is an artificial indicator – everybody can purchase a link from a directory), it is a beneficial path for search indexing.

Same reason we use social bookmarking sites. They expose new materials to the search engines. We have seen a great response in getting new pages indexed when we bookmark them – even once! Still not much in the way of link love being passed, BUT we are getting the page indexed, and if it is well optimized and is a part of a good site, it will show results sooner than we used to see.


Best regards,



Tim Grant

lunavista communications corp


Tim,
Thank you for your thoughts on directory submissions. I guess only time will tell but as we all know, Google is constantly changing and improving their search algorithm in order to return the most relevant results possible. Do you remember when reciprocal linking worked to improve a sites relevance or when any link in would do? Google got wise to artificial linking patterns and started penalizing sites for irrelevant and reciprocal linking that didn't support a sites authority.

As South Park's Cartman says... "You must respect my authorita!". There is no magic bullet in Search Engine Optimization. The only sure fire way to keep your website ranking high in search results is to ask yourself is this going to increase my sites relevance and authority. Local directories and directories related to a site's content should by this standard still improve a website's standing.

Mobile Web SEO | Are You Missing Out?

By Rachael Dror 630-269-3725

With 3.3 billion active cell phones on a planet of 6.6 billion people, mobile internet marketing cannot be ignored! Here are a few tips to get you started creating your mobile web presence...

1. Use the same colors and key elements as your main website.

2. Remove graphics and advertisements- they slow down load time and make mobile navigation tricky.

3. Less is more when it comes to clicks needed to navigate a mobile web page. Remember that your mobile audience has limited time, patience and bandwidth.

Hiring a Search Engine Marketing Firm | Watch for These Red Flags!

Search Engine Optimization is important for growing your business online. There are many companies that provide SEO services but they are not all equal! If you don't know what to look for in a SEO company or consultant, there's a good chance that you'll end up wasting time and money!

3 Red Flags |

1. Directory Registration | Search Engine Optimization techniques change constantly. Google used to place value on site registered with online directories. No more! If an SEO company includes directory registration in their proposal or as an additional service, you know that their strategy is stale!

2. We Rank 1st for "KEYWORD" |It's great if a SEO company comes up on the first page of Google for specific keywords but it isn't always an indication that they are good at what they do. Ask to see examples of work they've done for clients. I've investigated many SEO companies and have found that scammers often rely on their own keyword ranking to sell services to unsuspecting customers.

3. Outsourcing | You get what you pay for! Ask the SEO company if they do their work onsite. If they use resources from other countries you can be sure that quality will be compromised! I was once an outsource fan- it's cheap, it's fast. Be especially aware of copywriting and linking done overseas.

Ideas That Spread = Success | The Best Social Media Marketing Methods 2009

The Top 2 Social Media Marketing Do's |
by Rachael Dror Chicago, IL

1. Create an app

ex. Fed Ex

Fed Ex launched an excellent social media campaign on FaceBook which was on brand and in alignment with an existing consumer need.

As you are probably aware, you can not send attachments using the messaging facility on FaceBook.

The US courier company, FedEx created a branded ap that enbaled people to “Launch a Package”, whereby they could send attachments within FaceBook.

The results were immediate: 100,000 installs in 48 hours, 1st branded app to make #1 on Facebook’s Most Active page, and 0ver 50% of users returning more than 10 times after install. -Jax Rant

SEE ALSO Bud Light's Dude app


2. Develop a Game

ex. New Balance

One engaging approach that’s been used in the past is the creation of games that revolve around a product or service. Marketers attempt to make free, entertaining mini-games that interest as much of the population as possible in hopes to get click-through traffic to their website or purchases of their product. This is exactly what New Balance has done with their Zip running sneaker and the Facebook mini-game “New Balance RUN-Dezvous” by Buddy Media.

The game itself plays a lot like the old-school, Nintendo title Paperboy. You’re out for a run, and you have to dodge things like falling plants, open man holes, street barricades, and so on. It actually looks pretty good too, utilizing an interesting, surreal style of art with a strange isometric point of view. -www.insidesocialgames.com

New Balance made their idea easy to share by adding a challenge function. Players could challenge their friends as well as other random players.

Social Media Marketing | Don't Be Old School!

Don't Be Old School
by Rachael Dror

If you want to successfully market your products and services online, social media marketing is the most powerful tool available. In 2008, 79.5 million people visited social networking sites at least once a month according to Debra Aho Williamson of eMarketer! But before you attempt to reach out to this vast audience, the first thing you need to do is to forget everything you know about advertising! Gone are the days when the brands with the biggest ad budgets and loudest voices win. Today you have to ask yourself if your message is worth commenting on, sharing with friends and spending time with when there are infinite options available.

NEW REALITY CHECK:

1. Stop talking about yourself! Listen to what others are saying and join the conversation.

2. Is that the sound of one hand clapping? A good way to be ignored online is to blast your message out to people who just don't care.

3. If you build it, they will not come. Having a website, banner ad, etc. is not good enough.

4. If you don't have something remarkable to say, don't say anything at all!

5. Get off your soapbox and get your hands dirty. Engagement is key to social media marketing success.

6. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Get to know the social network before crafting your campaign.